“What you say is interesting, what you do is relevant.”

Implicit in this expression is the implication that our thoughts and our actions are not always in sync. In other words, we are not nearly as rational as we like to believe we are.

In the space of six years, at least three best-selling books seem to be wrestling with this incongruity:

Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, 2005, by Malcolm Gladwell

Predictably Irrational, 2008, by Dan Ariely

Thinking, Fast and Slow, 2011, by Daniel Kahneman

Included here are three videos that summarize the books:

Gladwell seems to be telling us that our first impressions are often more accurate than our careful analysis of all the details. Ariely, in a more entertaining way, shows that we can be easily misled or manipulated by these differences in the way we “think.” Nobel laurite Daniel Kahneman resolves the dilemma with his theory that there are actually two different types of “thinking,” which serve very different purposes.

According to Kahneman, when we think “fast” we are operating effortlessly and in a spontaneous and intuitive way. Our actions are based on deep-rooted instincts and habits. On the other hand, when we think “slow,” it takes conscious concentration and effort to think things through, and, importantly, it takes an environment free of fear and anxiety. For example, it is hard to contemplate the evolution of the saber-toothed tiger if you fear that one may be lurking nearby.

Traditional leadership philosophies suggest that we are rational – but most of the time we are not. Furthermore, the “incentives” inherent in the traditional organizational environments that we inhabit – just like the saber-toothed tiger in the room – actually inhibit “slow” thinking.  It is no wonder that we are most often “predictably irrational.”

Sys-Tao seeks to resolve this paradox. We must be psychologically bi-lingual – we must be able to think both “fast” and “slow.”